


Have Even More Rivetra One-Shots

by FelicityReid



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angry Levi, Angst, Canon Compliant, F/M, Politics, Princess Petra, Royalty AU, Sneaky Gal Ral, Stormy Afternoons, That should be a much more common tag, WWII AU, Wedding, rivetra, sick/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-13 03:38:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16884939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FelicityReid/pseuds/FelicityReid
Summary: Copying my works from my Tumblr here. With the tumblr purge, I'll be using it less and less, and I wanted these moved somewhere more permanent. Wrote these 6+ months ago. Enjoy!





	1. Drunk Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> FYI, I have not proofread these again to correct any mistakes that were originally there. So I'm sure they exist.

“Ah, a birthday celebration.” Levi huffed. Somehow, he always forgot that his squad was made up of regular people. And that regular people would occasionally go out and have fun with their friends.

“Come on, Captain. It is Gunter’s birthday after all. And when was the last time you did something because it was fun?” Eld questioned. The short man never seemed to run out of things to do and didn’t really do anything but work. Petra nodded in agreement as she waited expectantly for the answer. She couldn’t help the grin that slowly appeared on her face.

Levi only glared at the blond man, Eld only glared back. Had the blond already started drinking before the squad even left for the bar? No, Levi concluded, he was just giddy. His face finally relaxed and he sighed. “I’m fine here. You four go out. Just don’t forget we have to travel to the capital tomorrow morning with Erwin.”

Petra opened her mouth to protest, but Gunter had grabbed her forearm and dragged her out the door before she could even squeak.

Levi returned to his paperwork only to have a realization pop into his head. He had never seen his squad drunk. Which was a rarity for any survey corps member. Hell, Levi had even seen Erwin drunk, though all that seemed to change is that he would laugh at the bad jokes Hanji made.

Seeing his team get hammered would be fascinating, and he had found it to be one of the quickest ways to determine if someone was truly trustworthy. It almost made him stand up from his chair and follow them into the nearby pub, but then he remembered how disgusting those types of establishments were. Every single one of them brimming with the history of patrons who couldn’t hold their liquor. He was more than happy to continue his paperwork at that thought.

xxx

Hours passed, the sun set, and Levi had every intention of meeting his team as they came in from their night of tipsy comradery. He wanted to see if he had correctly predicted what type of drunk each soldier would be. There were no doubts in his mind that Eld would be the loud drunk; Gunter would most likely be the existential crisis drunk and Oluo, the offended drunk. It was a fun game.

However, Levi had no idea what type of drunk Petra would reveal herself to be. His guess was between a cry-baby drunk or a toddler drunk, though he wouldn’t have been surprised if it was neither.

Soon enough, Eld’s not-so-beautiful singing voice was heard outside the door. Levi leaned against the wall and put on the most disapproving expression he could. The wooden door opened and all four members of the squad somehow got through the door frame at once. Levi narrowed his eyes as he observed how they were all behaving.

Well he at least guessed Eld as a loud drunk correct, though Oluo seemed to have taken to the role of the cry-baby drunk. There was no telling whether he was right about Gunter or not. Levi would have to ask tomorrow because as soon as the guys saw Levi in the entryway, they tried to quickly head towards the hallway. But they were more clumsy than quick.

Taking his weight back off the wall, Levi was about to follow them to the part of castle with all the living quarters, but his eyes caught Petra’s, who was still standing in the entry way with an abnormally confident smile on her face. “What?”

“You’re cute, you know that?”

Levi’s eyes widened while his brow furrowed in confusion as he stared at her. Did she really just say that? That certainly wasn’t an adjective she should be using to describe her senior male commanding officer who was often described as humanity’s greatest. But despite the blatant awkwardness across Levi’s face, Petra continued.

“Well, I guess you wouldn’t. Though that makes sense. The only impression you care about making is being intimidating, which to be honest you can be.”

She wasn’t going to stop giving a voice to every little thought that popped into her head, Levi realized. He was just about to point out that she should quit running her mouth when Petra started to laugh.

“But you have no idea how adorable you are when you glare at me! I love it so much!” She was being really quite loud and Levi didn’t care much for it. Her eyes had started to look around the room rather than at him. Then Petra started to mutter, though the muttering still had the volume of the normal talking level.

“Oh, and I love you, you know that, right? Ah…I suppose it doesn’t matter. But, ha! I finally said it… And would you stop looking at me like that!“ Her amber eyes had finally settled on Levi again while she had been rambling, but widened with horror when she realized what she had just confessed to. It seemed to sober her up just a bit as she body stiffened, clearly not as relaxed as she had been when she had stumbled through the door.

“I can’t believe I just said that. I cannot believe…!” She was back to muttering to herself now and had started walking in the direction her fellow squad members had gone just a few moments earlier.

Levi had completely stilled, though he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the woman. Petra was absolutely red in the face and clearly frustrated as she seemed to hold back an urge to tear her own hair out of her scalp. But before he could come to his own senses and say anything, she was out of sight.

What the fuck? It was the only question that seems to run though his head as he did his best to process what had just occurred. What the fuck? His only female subordinate had just confessed romantic feelings towards her captain. Levi had no idea how to react.

He knew how he should react. He should immediately be looking into getting her transferred to a different team; or at the very least, discuss the drunken conversation with Erwin. Levi knew that strong emotions of any kind had the potential to negatively affect battlefield performance. But he couldn’t bring himself to seriously consider any action at all. 

Petra was already entirely integrated into his special ops squad and finding a replacement would be overly troublesome for both himself and the team; not that Petra was at all replaceable. Her skills far exceeded that of her peers and she was vital for the morale upkeep of the squad. Levi had no idea how she kept that smile on her face, though he was at least smart enough to realize that it wasn’t always a genuine expression. But none of that information helped him at the moment.

Levi found that he had finally regained control of his muscles. Letting out a heavy, shaky breath, he started towards his own room. He needed to take the night to fully process what had truly happened, and hoped that by the time dawn broke, he would have made a decision of how to proceed in regards to Petra’s brutally drunk honesty.

xxx

Morning came and Levi was still just as confused as he had been in the entry way the night before. In the meantime, acting like it never happened unless it was brought up seemed to be the best idea.

Petra appeared to agree. While the team met up with Hanji’s squad and Erwin, she said and did nothing that Levi couldn’t consider normal. But she looked to have one of the worst hangovers he had ever seen, though mercifully without any vomiting. Levi had to appreciate the professionalism she showed during the trip, despite her condition.

Petra continued to recover as the group of Survey Corps soldiers made their way to the capital. Levi was on edge for most of it, especially when Petra was riding near him. She, however, exhibited no such awkwardness or hesitancy that he expected from her given the confession she let slip last night. She wasn’t that great an actress. It all begged the question, did she even remember?


	2. You Should Have Told Me!

Maybe he would tell Hanji after the fact. He really didn’t want to deal with the racket that would be coming from the fellow soldier if Hanji were to be informed beforehand and he definitely didn’t want the noise that was called a voice going on and on during the event.

He resigned himself to the fact that he would in fact have to deal with the headache. A headache was miles better than the experiencing Petra’s lip tremble for a second time. Levi directed his feet to carry him towards Hanji’s office all the while recognizing how utterly whipped he was. Give him a Titan any day, but that soft quivering lip mixed with tears ready to fall – he truly was no match.

The worst part is that Petra knew it too. She didn’t pull that move often, but when she did, she was the most powerful person in the universe.

Levi knocked on the heavy wooden door before he could talk himself out of it. There was a shout of approval from the other side and Levi turned the knob and entered the room.

“Well it’s not often you come and see me” Hanji remarked while sitting the desk which was covered with disorganized paperwork, some even sporting coffee stains. “What’s the occasion?”

Levi fought back the urge to start straightening the documents. “An invitation. You need to be in Erwin’s office at six.”

“Ooh! What’s happening?” Hanji inquired. But Levi had no intention of feeding the curious beast.

“Really, anything could happen.” He responded as he walked out of the room. There. Invitation sent. He smirked at the discovered loophole which he had just expertly exploited. Petra’s closest friend would be there and everyone would be happy.

Xxx

Levi was in Erwin’s office with Petra, Mike, his squad, Erwin himself, and even Eren. Of course they were waiting on Hanji. Levi looked at Petra, who was only wearing her soldier’s uniform, but it seems she had put some blossoms in her hair for the occasion. It was a shame a new dress couldn’t have been afforded. He would have loved to have seen her in in a long, white gown. Maybe after they were no longer needed in the corps. The amber-haired woman in front of him with the flowers in her hair certainly deserved at least that.

“You did invite Hanji, yes?” Petra hissed under her breath, only loud enough for him to hear.

“Of course I did. I wasn’t going to fail the one thing I was tasked with.”

A couple more minutes went by of only the sound of people becoming more and more anxious, but finally the red-head burst through the door.

“Sorry I’m late everyone! I got caught up in a new research book Moblit found in Sina.” Hanji said, strolling in through the door. “So whats up?”

Petra looked from Hanji to Levi with a furious look on her face and shouted. “You didn’t tell her we are getting married?”

Levi couldn’t help the smirk that spread on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I’ve always had the headcanon that the Rivetra wedding would have been a small civil ceremony, at least at first. Those two just want to be married as fast as possible, so they probably got engaged like a week ago. Not to mention Levi wouldn’t want a spectacle or big audience, especially of people he doesn’t know and Petra doesn’t have strong feelings either way. She would have liked to have worn a beautiful white gown (Levi would have like that too tbh) and she would have liked her dad there, but they were stuck in a Survey Corps base and couldn’t exactly have her dad travel to get there. They might have a more ceremonial wedding/reception when the time is right.
> 
> And yes, Levi most definitely has a prankster side when it comes to Hanji.


	3. Squad Dinner

Levi sat the pot down on the oversized coaster with a soft thud. It wasn’t often the captain cooked, but whenever the special ops squad was given actual fresh steak and veggies, Levi only trusted one person to cook: himself. 

“Ahh…it smells so good!” Oluo complimented.

“Wipe that drool off your face or you’ll be finding something else to eat.” Levi snapped, scooting the pot towards the middle of the table. 

Eld was the first to grab the ladle and scoop some of the stew into his bowl, and Gunter was quick to follow.

“Where’s Petra?” Levi wondered out loud. They were all technically off duty so she wasn’t require to join them, but it was unlike her to miss moments like this. 

Gunter offered up the information that he knew. “I think she said something about taking a nap during training earlier, but she’s usually pretty good about waking up when she needs to. She didn’t say anything to you captain?”

“I’ll go check to see if she is in her room. You guys start eating.” Levi called out as he walked out of the dining hall. But his instructions had fallen on deaf ears as his men had already started eating. 

He walked up to Petra’s bedroom door and knocked. Nothing. So he knocked again, louder this time. And listened carefully for any noises coming from the room. He heard rustle of fabric then a weak female voice telling him to come in.

He turned the knob and opened the door. His eyes scanned the room looking for his subordinate and found her lying in bed with the covers up to her chin. Her face somehow looked both incredibly pale and flushed at the same time.

The only the thing that came out of Levi’s mouth was “You look like shit.” 

Petra blinked slowly and simply nodded in agreement. “Sorry about missing dinner. I’m sure you’re cooking tasted as amazing as always!” She gave him a weak smile. 

It was clear to Levi that Petra had come down with some sort of bug, but leave it to her to try to take the attention off of herself. She hated it when her squad mates were worried about her, even more so if the captain seemed worried. Petra always pointed out that she was part of the squad to be an asset, not a burden.

Levi was standing beside her bed and gazed down at her. She really did look like shit. “Even if you’re sick, you still need to eat. I’ll bring a bowl up and some water for you.”

“Oh you don’t have to do that heichou.” Petra protested. “My stomach probably couldn’t handle food anyway.”

Levi turned his back to her and responded.“You still need to eat, Petra. I’ll make some peppermint tea. Should help settle your stomach.” He was out the door before she could protest further.

It’s true that she needed to get her strength back before the next expedition. His actions would only help her recover, but he just couldn’t help himself when she she had that look on her face. It was good he got out of her room when he did, otherwise his true feelings might just expose themselves.

Both of them knew that could never happen.


	4. The Calm Before the Storm

It was the height of summer and Squad Levi was busy running ODMG drills in the nearby forest. The humidity was not at all kind and only served to dehydrate each member of the squad. Moisture clung to each member like condensation on a glass of ice water, though none of the soldiers knew whether it was from sweating or the water in the air.

Levi particularly disliked this particular part of the year. The extreme humidity almost made him miss living in the underground city. Almost being the keyword of that thought. As horrible as living in that cave was, the weather was always a consistent, cool, and pleasant.

The captain landed on a tree branch that allowed him to see through the thick green leaves of the forest. Opening his canteen, he poured the remaining water into his dry mouth. While screwing the cap back on, Levi noticed the dark clouds that were off in the distance.

“Fuck,” he muttered. As important as it was train in all weather conditions, he really didn’t feel like getting even more drenched that he was. His squad had been training non-stop for a couple of hours now and he could already tell they were becoming exhausted. The quips and sarcasm that the soldiers normally exchanged between each other had stopped in favor of channeling what energy they had left into what they were focused on: drills. Levi was proud that despite the growing exhaustion of his team, their performance didn’t suffer. However, Levi would not easily offer up this information to anyone or anything other than an official evaluation.

He looked below him and saw they were practicing the new strategy on the dummy titan that Gunter and Petra had presented a week or two ago. “Alright,” he shouted at his squad. “We’re wrapping up here. It looks like a storm is heading our way and I don’t want a fuck ton of mud to be tracked into HQ.” He quickly jumped off the branch and started to head back, Petra, Oluo, Eld, and Gunter following close behind him.

It was eerily quiet on the way back to the castle, and not just because no one said a word. The birds had stopped chirping and even the rustle of the leaves had quieted. It all made Levi feel on edge.

But apparently he wasn’t the only one who picked up on the change in soundscape. “Really drives home the meaning of ‘the calm before the storm,’ doesn’t it?” Petra said to no one in particular.

There was no voiced response to the observation. Though Oluo let out what seemed to be a sarcastic chuckle of acknowledgement. Soon enough they were all back in the castle they called a base and each soldier headed to her or his own room.

Once Levi closed the door to his room, he couldn’t get changed out of his sweat-soaked clothes and into something far more comfortable fast enough. He quickly toweled off any remaining sweat on his skin and put on a white long-sleeved cotton shirt and pants before grabbing his ink, pen, and some paperwork, then headed to the dining hall.

He gently set down the supplies on one of the long dining tables and sat down on a chair. The hall’s gigantic windows and even higher ceiling made it the one room that was actually comfortable to be in during the summer months. Levi pushed his sleeves to his elbows and got to work skimming the reports he had to sign and approve.

It didn’t take long before Petra joined him at the table with tea for both of them. No words were exchanged between the two. The silence they had experienced on the way back from drills seemed to have wormed its way into the castle, but Levi had to admit, his current setting somehow made the stillness pleasant, rather than nerve-wracking.

Though it seemed Petra could only enjoy the silence for so long before getting antsy. “So what are you working on today?”

Levi blinked, realizing that he actually couldn’t remember any of the specifics of the documents he had been signing. His routine paperwork had become so mindless that his mind tended to wander whilst his hand and fingers scribbled his name where need be.

He scanned the paper in front of him before answering. “Apparently I need to approve a training schedule for the new recruits coming in.” He scanned it again. “And it has no time designated to scrub the shithole mess they call barracks. Well that’s going to have to change.” He crossed out his signature that had marked his approval of the itinerary and started a new pile for things that needed to be edited.

“Do you want me to look through the rest of the paperwork and look for things that you won’t approve?”

Levi nodded at the same time as the first crack of thunder was heard and both of their heads snapped to the windows.

Petra corrected herself.“Ah, nevermind. We should probably go check all the windows instead to make sure rain doesn’t get in.”

“Just tell the guys to check the windows then hurry back. I need you.”

Petra blinked before she felt heat creep from her neck and all the way up her face. “Eh, Heichou?”

Levi finally looked up at her, but he wore an expression that looked blank, but Petra could have sworn she saw a hint of confusion. “Paperwork. You said that you were going to help me go through it.”

Petra laughed nervously. “Right that. I’ll be right back!” She exclaimed as she raced out of the room.

Levi thought for a moment, why had her face turned so red? It was obvious what he…

Oh. Now he got it. But Levi couldn’t help but wonder which interpretation was more true.


	5. Coffee Cups

Levi was only living day to day, hour by hour, minute by minute since the first appearance of the female titan and it got him by just fine. Just as long as he completely immersed himself with what was happening in the present, life was relatively painless.

But then nights would come and the world would blow out its candles. The sensory input that acted as a dam which kept all of Levi’s pent up sorrow at bay was at its weakest and it was his greatest fear that it would break and let lose the the tidal that would claim him.

It wasn't arrogance but fact; Levi knew he was too skilled for the titans or even other humans to lay hand or tooth on him. Not if he had a choice. But that’s what terrified him. He knew that if he was to die a violent death, it would be because he allowed his own death to occur. It would mean that he didn’t fight; that he had given up.

And it was this fear that gave him the courage to let go of his hope for short bursts of time; but only in the darkness where no one could see him. He would allow the dam to leak. Though these leaks of despair would always look different, and sometimes, it took Levi by surprise how it would manifest.

Some of the more predictable ways was at the bottom of a whiskey bottle, overkill on a sparring dummy (or titan), or working on paperwork till the sun broke over the horizon. That Levi could handle.

But sometime the leak was bigger than he allowed or occurred without his permission.

It was breakfast; Erwin had taken Hanji somewhere, leaving Levi to babysit the brats, has he had taken to calling them. Only getting his normal amount of sleep, Levi stalked through the dining hall to the kitchen for some coffee. Eren and his friends were all enjoying their eggs and toast, being entirely too loud for the early hour. Levi decided to ignore them for the time being and disappeared into the kitchen with most of the gang barely registering that he had passed through the room, other than a quick salute. They continued their loud conversation for several minutes until they heard a gigantic crash of shattering china.

Everyone went silent as they turned their heads towards the sound. Wondering what had happened, Eren and Mikasa stood and slowly walked to the doorway of the kitchen.

With his back to them, Levi stood in front of an impressive amount of coffee cups that now lay in broken pieces on the floor. Before Eren and Mikasa could fully take in the scene, Levi growled.

“Clean this up, now.” He promptly made his exit out out of the kitchen and dining hall, being sure to keep from making any eye contact. Mikasa couldn’t help but notice the small amount of blood that dripped from Levi’s fist as he left.

_What the hell was that?_  Levi screamed at himself. He was supposed to have more control over himself. But something had set him off, and Levi couldn’t remember what it was.

He walked himself through what had happened in the kitchen. He had first reached for a cup and had saw the cup Petra used to always use.

It wasn’t that. He had even taken to using that cup himself as he didn’t like when other people chose to drink hot liquids from it. Behind some of the cups was the coffee. He grabbed a bag that was mostly gone and started the brew.

It was the smell of the coffee Levi realized as he closed the door of his room behind him.

Rather than settle for coffee the rations would provide the soldiers, Petra would use her wages to buy quality grounds. She insisted the pro-bono coffee wasn’t actually coffee.

Levi recalled Petra’s use of air quotes when referring to those particular coffee beans. He let out a pitiful chuckle as he leaned against his door and slid down to the cold rocks that was called a floor.

It was the fucking smell of her favorite coffee. When the familiar heartbreaking aroma had filled the kitchen, sorrow quickly boiled into a burst of rage had over taken him. Needing to destroy something, Levi had shoved all the mugs onto the floor; the shattering sound of destruction not quite as satisfying as he had hoped.

Finally realizing that his legs instinctively had taken him to his room, Levi opened his palm and looked at the shallow gash that had somehow happened. He couldn’t remember the specifics.

But the sight of the blood only brought back memories that he really wished his heart had buried deeper.

_What the hell?_ Levi figured he had already let loose a few coffee cups.  _Why not some tears?_


	6. Sacrifice - WWII AU

The sounds and quakes of shells going off nearby shook him from the dark nothingness that had previously claimed him. Levi blinked away the dried tears as he started to regain consciousness. But his returned wakeful state also brought searing pain with it. He looked down at his leg and saw that a chunk of flesh was missing from his right leg and swore. But he was thankful that one of his comrades had seen the injury and administered a tourniquet around the same leg. He couldn’t just go passing out and dying; Levi still had promises to fulfill.

It was clear that he was no longer going to be an effective during this battle, especially considering he had to divert all of his energy into just staying awake. Levi threw his gun to the side, pulled out his brass pocket watch and tapped the knob on top to pop open the mechanical object. He didn’t need to know the time; and frankly, he didn’t give a damn if it was lunch or dinner time. He wanted to take just another look at and remind himself of what he had waiting for him back home.

Inside the lid was a sepia-toned photograph of short-haired woman smiling back at him. Levi couldn’t wait until he could afford to have a color photograph taken of her. The amber-bronze color of his wife’s hair was the most beautiful color in all of the universe, but the monotone of the photo left much to be desired, and Levi had been gone far too long to be able to recall the hue in his mind. His eye moved to the smaller face next to her and he smiled at the small girl with braids the same color as his own locks falling down her shoulders. His daughter was almost two and half years old in the photo, but she would be almost five now.

Levi truly believed in what his country was trying to do in this war; he did. But it was becoming very hard to remember what that reason was and why he was there in the first place as he took a deep breath, his back in the blood and dirt, with sounds of exploding shells becoming louder. Someone moving to his left caught his attention and he hastily put the watch back in his pant pocket.

A shout needed to leave his throat, but any sort of sound refused to be made. Levi, trying to get the attention of someone he hoped was a fellow soldier waved his arms wildly, but clearly they weren’t coming back, whoever they were.

He started crawling through the blood-laden mud that had collected in the ditch. It was revolting, but Levi’s survival instinct seemed to completely override any sense disgust as he used his arms and one good leg to move to the underground base where his commanders should be planning the army’s next move. It was a slow process, and as he and time dragged on, the distance he still had to cover seemed to only lengthen.

Surmising that his wound had long since become infected, his fever and blood-loss were becoming a much greater hindrance than Levi would have cared to admit; but soon enough, it all claimed his consciousness once again.

xxx

The next time he awoke, his surrounding were much quieter and comfier than they had been previously; but somehow his body felt even worse.

In an attempt to hasten his awareness of surrounding, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked around. He was in the hospital ward of the underground bunker and soldiers in poorer condition than himself were asleep, though some of them seemed a little too quiet and too still. Looking down, Levi saw that his soldier uniform had been removed and he was now dressed in clean clothes. His eyes widened as he looked around for a nurse, a doctor, anyone.

A medic who had just finished changing another soldiers bandages, stood and approached the abnormally short soldier.

“What happened? And where is my military uniform, the one I was wearing on the field?” Levi was barely able rasp out. He needed water.

The medic considered the pale and wounded man lying on the stretcher for a moment, but then remembered. “You’re the one who crawled almost a mile of the battlefield ditches before passing out. Shame really, you was only about 50 feet from the bunker entrance. As far as your military garb goes, your belt, helmet, and boots have been bagged and are in storage. You’ll still be able to use those. But we had to incinerate your jacket and trousers. They were covered in blood and the risk of infection to you and other soldiers was too high.”

“Please tell me you at least removed the items in the pockets.” Levi pleaded.

“There weren’t any items in any of the pockets, sir.”


	7. Gamble

“She better not have touched my gear.” Levi grumbled, mostly to himself as he skulked down storeroom.

Recently, the engineering division had apparently made some big improvements over the last model of the ODMG and Levi was not looking forward to it. Since he had joined the Scouts a couple of years back, he had been able to get away with keeping his old stolen gear. He knew it was outdated, but it was his, and he knew it well.

However, he was thankful that if a piece broke now, it could be easily replaced. Whereas while he has living underground, he had to be extremely careful not to push the equipment too far, because who knew when you’d be able to come across replacement parts, let alone be able to afford any.

Levi stopped and looked out the window at Eld, Oluo, and Gunter running some basic drills and training some new recruits. Petra wasn’t with them, which only served to increase his anxiety.

Petra had been with him a couple of days ago, alongside Hanji, when Erwin had approached Levi after a meeting and asked him test drive new ODM gear in the upcoming expedition. At the news of a new ODMG model, Levi saw Petra’s ears twitch at the prospect of increased gear performance. Levi wasn’t so intrigued.

“No.” Had been his immediate response to the blond commander and Levi stalked off in the opposite direction.

Later that same night, he had seen Petra talking to Hanji. When he had approached them, Petra had gotten flustered and started babbling on about how dinner had tasted.

Not seeing amber-haired soldier training with her teammates had convinced him that she was up to something. He had to get to the ODMG storeroom before she left even a fingerprint on his equipment.

Levi swore when he saw the machinery that sat in the locker. He could tell his ODMG had already been switched with whatever experimental fuckery Erwin wanted him to test. He had to restrain himself from running up to Petra’s room. When he got to the door, he didn’t bother to knock.

“You little shit” was Levi’s choice words for the woman as he barged into her room.

Petra stood up quickly. She knew this was coming. “Sir, I can explain.”

“I don’t care if you can, Ral.” She flinched at his use of her last name. “Where is my gear?”

Petra straightened her back. She portrayed a calm but determined exterior and it took Levi a little off-guard.

“I hid it, sir.” She had to keep herself from glancing at her closet, where his old gear had found a temporary home.

“You what?”

“I hid your old gear, sir. For your own sake and for the sake of the survey corps’ future, I believe you should at least test out the new gear.”

“I could have you court marshaled for this.” He hissed through his teeth. It was clear that he was genuinely angry, but Petra was determined to have him use, or at least try, gear that was up to date for once. If he was amazing using old equipment; she could imagine what he would be capable of with gear that could actually keep up with him. But Petra didn’t want to imagine anymore, so she stood her ground.

“I would advise against that action, sir.”

Levi crossed his arms and questioned her response. “And why is that?”

“Sir, because you would no longer be able to sleep with me if that were to happen.”

xxx

Captain Levi flew through the air with a speed he didn’t think possible as he slayed yet another titan. When he landed, his eyes caught Petra’s gaze and he gave her the most intense glare he could possibly muster.

Apparently, it wasn’t at all as frightening as he hoped, because all she did was smile back him. He quickly turned his head and looked away.

The expression he had seen on her face was one of happiness, but he saw her triumph as well. It was a grin that would often have him smiling back. But he refused to return the smile this time, mainly because that would only admit his own defeat, even if she was right.


	8. The Ambassador - Royalty AU

Duchess Petra Ral was currently heading towards the neighboring kingdom in order to be married. There was no surprise in this trip. Her fate had been set since she was three years-old and there was no chance in changing it, unless her uncle had decided to change her future husband, but the king was a man of his word. However, she did recognize herself to be lucky in regards to her age. She was able to stay with her father, the duke, until her current age of 22 years.

What she didn’t understand was why the trip had to be so bumpy. Petra had pleaded with her ladies-in-waiting that she be at least allowed to ride side-saddle for journey. But it would certainly not befit a lady of her status to ride for any part of the journey to the kingdom. Petra stuck her tongue out in response to this comment and resigned herself to riding in the carriage. She was told had to make the perfect first-impression as it would set the first stones of whether she would be loved or hated by the people who were to become her subjects.

She peered through the curtains at the ambassador that was escorting her. He was riding next to the carriage, preferring the hooves of the horse rather than the wooden wheels, and Petra could help but giggle at the drops of water that rolled off his short, dark hair. The mist-like rain had been going since dawn, but the caravan did not stop.

He certainly was handsome, she couldn’t help but think. Petra had only talked to the earl a couple of times, and those short, awkward minutes had already rose to the top of her list as being the most interesting conversations she had ever experienced. She mused as to how he had fallen into the diplomatic position in the first place, for his disposition was not one she would call charismatic. If anything, she considered Sir Levi Ackerman rude, so of course, she wanted to speak with him again.

Again she did. She trusted his blunt honesty, and even depended on it. How did nobleman put it? Ah yes. The weather of his capital was ‘shit’, always raining and making the streets muddy and un-walkable. She also enjoyed his accurate descriptions of the family into which she was marrying. The king was a ‘right-bastard’ and his queen, a woman who did not enjoy silence; but he refused to make any sort of remarks about the prince, her own future husband.

xxx

Petra arrived at the palace will all the pomp and grace that befitted the occasion. It seemed like it took no less than a blink of any eye for her to be ‘wedded and bedded’ as some of the more crude sayings put it. Within the first two years of marriage she got to know her new husband, and to put it simply, he was bland, completely boring, but she did her duty. Petra was extremely grateful that her first child was a son, an heir to the throne.

“You aren’t happy,” remarked a deep voice next to her. Petra stared at the earl who was sitting next to her for the Christmas feast. For some reason, the king had decided to keep Levi Ackerman, the 1st earl of the northern region, around at court, rather than sending him off to a foreign court to continue diplomacy, though it probably had something to do with his sunny personality.

She could only nod at his observation, but she put on a smile. She leaned towards him so that only he could hear. “I find that I have no friends. Even my ladies have abandoned me in favor of loyalty to their new husbands.”

Without missing a beat, the gentleman responded before turning back to his own food. “Meet me tonight by the oak tree outside your apartments. Be sure you are not seen.”

Petra and Levi did not talk or even exchange glances with each other throughout the rest of the night’s pleasantries. But Petra couldn’t have been further from the people who right in front of her. For the first time in years, she finally had something to look forward to.


End file.
